POLICE TERMINOLOGY

"Justice has nothing to do with murder, never did." (Strange Justice)

also see, Slang Dictionary, also see, Slang for Common Subjects

Call signs/squad car names
• Apple Three (304) (Manchild on the Streets)
• Baker Six (Kill Huggy Bear)
• “Blue Seven,” Starsky jokes (Black and Blue)
• Central One, radio chatter (Discomania)
• Central Three, radio chatter (Specialist)
• Eleven Harry (Pilot, Texas Longhorn)
• Faribault Two, radio chatter (Death in a Different Place)
• George One (Terror on the Docks)
• Metro Five (Death Ride)
• Metro Three, radio chatter (Death in a Different Place, Jojo)
• Mission One, radio chatter (Dandruff, Deckwatch)
• Mission Five, radio chatter (Discomania, Fix)
• Northern Three, radio chatter (Deckwatch)
• Northern Eight, police chatter (Collector)
• Northern Thirty, radio chatter (Discomania)
• Northern Two, radio chatter (Death in a Different Place, Starsky and Hutch Are Guilty, Gillian, Rosey Malone, Quadromania)
• Ocean Eleven (Survival)
• Ocean Nine (Survival)
• Paravell (sp?) Two, heard on police chatter (Death in a Different Place)
• Starsky calls himself “9W21” (Kill Huggy Bear)
• Ten Sierra (Pilot, Texas Longhorn)
• Thompson Five (Targets 1)
• "Weimaraner Four", Starsky jokes (Lady Blue)
• Zebra Nine (Survival)
• Zebra Six (Survival)
• Zebra Twelve (Survival)
• Zero Four (Manchild on the Streets)

Note: Though police codes have some variation from state to state, the show stuck with the most basic codes, with have less variation.

Police procedures, codes, language and legal terms
• “187” = “That’s a dead body,” says the dispatcher. Actually a “187” is a “homicide.” (Lady Blue)
• “211” = “armed robbery.” Maurice commits two, though he fakes having a gun. (Manchild on the Streets)
• “211” = “armed robbery.” A “211” was what was reported when Terry Roberts was shot. (Starsky’s Lady)
• “211” = Frank and Virgil rob the warehouse there, but no guns are in sight. It seems as though the call should have been a “10-33” which is “alarm sounding.” (Moonshine)
• “211” = “armed robbery.” A “211” is what was reported regarding Molly / Pete stealing cold cuts and peanuts with no gun. (Little Girl Lost)
• “211” =”armed robbery.” Starsky and Hutch respond to a “211” while undercover and disguised. (Tap Dancing)
• "211" = "armed robbery." Starsky and Hutch are called to a "211 in progress." (Kill Huggy Bear)
• “331” = Starsky tells Hobart he doesn’t want to get the Marlborough Club for a “331” (gambling) but for bigger stuff. (Action)
• “415 in progress” is what brings Starsky and Hutch to where Lonely is killed, “415” is “disturbing the peace.” (Gillian)
• “415” = Hutch overhears the dispatcher calling in a “415,” disturbing the peace at the Mandalay Amusement Park. (Survival)
• “415” = A “disturbing the peace” is called in at St. Francis when Orrin Lawford is killed. (Death in a Different Place)
• “459” = Officer Tinker was called out “on a phony 459,” a burglary. (Pariah)
• “484 in progress” = A “484” is petty theft. (Crying Child)
• “918-X” = The cops are called to 1000 Chestnut on the radio for “woman screaming for help.” (Quadromania)
• “10-17” = Hutch says Starsky has a “10-17” to attend to before pleasure.” A 10-17 is get gasoline. (Set-Up)
• “10-4” = This term means something is understood or “copied.” (various)
• “10-33” = A “10-33” is what Starsky calls in to two other squads in response to the ruckus at Fat Rolly’s Bargain Circus. This is a little strange, as the activity is clearly more than an “alarm sounding.” (Texas Longhorn)
• “10-40” = Starsky’s girlfriend tells Hutch he has a “10-40.“ This appears to be “advise if Officer is available for phone call.” Hutch looks confused. (Vendetta)
• “10-70” = This is heard on the police radio; Faribault Two is going to investigate a fire alarm at Ianbeau. (Death in a Different Place)
• “10-70” = There is a “10-70”, suspected prowler, overheard on the police radio. (Death in a Different Place)
• “302 request” = Walters and Ohlin “got a copy of your 302 request.” This is how they know Starsky and Hutch are watching Jack Parker. Dobey also asks Starsky and Hutch if they have “read Jack Parker’s 302.” A 302 report is a standard FBI report. (Groupie)
• "APB" = all points bulletin (Texas Longhorn, Fix, Silence, Foxy Lady, Vendetta))
• “an assist” = Cops going to help the primary/first police officers on the scene and provide backup. (Manchild on the Streets)
• “An established solid link between the contractor and the contractee” is needed to prove he hired a “mechanic” Basil comments to Hutch. Hutch already knows this legalism. (Photo Finish)
• “An officer of the law ID’d you” = Hutch tells Widdicombe Starsky identified him, making an officer’s id more valid than a regular citizen. (Blindfold)
• “bargain on a plea” = Rolly hopes to bargain on a plea by telling Starsky and Hutch what he knows about John Brown Harris and Huey Chaco. (Texas Longhorn)
• “beeper” = Starsky and Hutch call the tracking device on Goose’s car a beeper. (Bust Amboy)
• "beeper" = Starsky gets beeped as a signal that he and Hutch have to report to work. (Class in Crime)
• “probable cause” = Starsky and Hutch don’t have a warrant. They have to have probable cause to search Janos and so they goad the bad guys into taking first swing at them. (A Coffin for Starsky)
• “bench warrant” = Dobey will get a bench warrant from a judge to apprehend Clayburn. (Targets 3)
• “capital offenses” = Su Long “commits no capital offenses,” crimes so serious that capital punishment is considered appropriate. (Psychic)
• “case and prior” = Starsky calls Dispatch to get Jojo’s “case and prior.” (Jojo)
• “cause for search” = Lester has so many possession raps that Starsky and Hutch can search his car without a warrant. (Iron Mike)
• “channel selector” = A channel selector is what messes up Starsky and Hutch’s radio. (Trap)
• “Chart Room” = Starsky and Hutch “go down to the chart room for a mission briefing.” (Iron Mike)
• “Code 2” = Starsky and Hutch respond to silent alarm at 609 Dayton. Dispatch requests, Code 2 is “lights no siren.” (Blindfold)
• “Code 2” = Heard on radio chatter, cops are sent to 74th and 19th with a Code 2, proceed with lights no siren. (Omaha Tiger)
• “Code 3” = Starsky and Hutch respond with a “Code 3.” Code 3 means “emergency lights and sirens.” (Kill Huggy Bear, Snowstorm, Huggy Can’t Go Home)
• “Code 7” = Starsky and Hutch call in a Code 7 when they are at Dobey’s Restaurant. "Code 7" is “mealtime.” (Losing Streak)
• “commission” = The commission is what to where officers bring a case. (Crying Child)
• “conditional on the accessory” = Rolly hopes for a “conditional on the accessory,” a lessoning of original crime of accessory to murder and rape. (Texas Longhorn)
• “conspiracy” = A conspiracy is an agreement between/among people to commit a crime. (Snowstorm)
• “coroner’s inquest” is held by a coroner to determine the cause of any violent, sudden, or mysterious death. (Pariah)
• “corroborating evidence” is evidence to strengthen or support with other evidence, to make a case more certain. (Pilot)
• “court order” = Starsky tells Dobey he wants a court order to get a “wire tap or a search” on Jack Parker. (Groupie)
• “cuffing” = Cuffing one’s suspect is “regulation,” a rule Starsky and Hutch both actively choose to ignore with Henny and Sarah Wilson. (Savage Sunday)
• “DB report” = A DB is a report of a dead body. (Jojo)
• “decedent” = A dead person is a decedent. (Pariah)
• "decoy" = someone or something used, to divert or to entice someone into a trap (Body Worth Guarding, Death Ride)
• “delinquency of a minor” = This is a charge of corruption of a minor. It may include providing alcohol to or encouraging a minor to do illegal things, (Vendetta, Trap)
• “dereliction of duty” = Dobey is worried Starsky and Hutch will be accused of dereliction of duty by IA for not preventing Slate’s attack. (Strange Justice)
• “Dr. Blue, please call the operator” = Jack says this is “security special for police emergency” at casino. (Las Vegas Strangler)
• “DR” = Hutch gets Starsky and Hutch’s record book to check time of visit to Newton. It is likely their “DR.” (Starsky and Hutch Are Guilty)
• “DR” = Starsky and Hutch work off of “Jake’s DR.” It stands for “daily record,” and also called his “sheet.” (Plague)
• “ETA” = An ETA is the “estimated time of arrival." (Huggy Can’t Go Home)
• “evidence” = “Each item is gonna have a tag with your names on it. It’s called evidence,” Hutch tells Manning and Lewis. (Nightmare)
• “extortion” = “It’s hard to make an extortion rap stick unless one of them (perp) actually accepts the money for the tape,“ Dobey reminds Hutch. Hutch says he knows this fact. (Tap Dancing)
• “false arrest” = Dobey reminds Starsky and Hutch, all Monk has to do is complain about their tactics, “that, and a receipt will get you in to court. On a false arrest.” (Photo Finish)
• “FBI Civil Fingerprint Card, Personal Identification Only” = typed across the top of the kickback. (Specialist, Playboy Island)
• “friendly witness” = if one doesn’t cooperate with cops, one’s an accessory. If one does, one is a friendly witness. (Moonshine)
• “get a tracer” = Trace this call. It involves a call to another office to give the phone number. (Bloodbath)
• “had a warrant, pursued an escaped felon to a suspected numbers bank, confiscated $140,000 in cash from known criminals who resisted arrest.” = Starsky and Hutch did all this when they chased Amboy, but they also “crossed the county line” which made their warrant invalid. (Bust Amboy)
• “headquarters” = Headquarters is Metro, according to Starsky and Hutch. (Committee)
• “police headquarters” = metro, according to Starsky (Plague)
• “injunction enjoining from further harassment, no interference with normal activities” is served against Starsky and Hutch. (Bust Amboy)
• “injunction” = Bettin threatens to get an injunction to keep Starsky and Hutch away from Jojo. (Jojo)
• “interfering with a federal investigation is a federal offense punishable by imprisonment” = Smithers and Waldheim warn Starsky and Hutch about their continued interest in the case. (Targets 2)
• “invoke the informant privilege” = This is the refusal to reveal one’s source for their protection and future help. (Targets 1)
• “lenience” = A reporter asks Starsky and Hutch if they are going to offer “a lenience” in court regarding Simon Marcus. (Bloodbath)
• “log in / out” = Starsky and Hutch check in with Dispatch at beginning and end of shift with this phrase. They use time in military time. (Pilot)
• “logbook” = Sheriff Oates checks the logbook to pinpoint the time of Clayburn’s phone call. (Targets 3)
• “M.O.” = A M.O. is a method of operation. It is specifically mentioned when Starsky, Hutch and Dobey are discussing Alec Corday. (Death in a Different Place)
• “material witness” = A material witness is a witness whose testimony is required in order to resolve the matter. (Heavyweight, Running, Targets 1)
•“military time” = Military time is also called “universal time.” It is what Starsky and Hutch use to log in / out with Dispatch. “Show us out and about at 1600 hours.” (Pilot)
• “mug books,” separate ones for men and women, separate ones for seriousness of crime (Hostages, Nightmare)
• “obstructing justice” = Starsky and Hutch threaten Woodfield with obstructing justice. (Captain Dobey, You’re Dead)
• “OCU” = “Organized Crime Unit,” OCU is going to watch over. Jojo (Jojo)
• “official departmental reprimand” = Bettin wants Dobey to issue an official departmental reprimand to Starsky and Hutch. (Jojo)
• “on a call” = An officer who is actively investigating an official request. (Snowstorm)
• “on the gate” = “On the gate" is what one says as he or she knocks on the prison interrogation room door when requesting the guard. (Iron Mike, Bloodbath)
• “patch through” = Hutch requests a “patch through” from Dobey through Communication. (Hostages)
• “patch through” = Kiko calls the station, gets put through to Starsky and Hutch’s car with a patch through. (Little Girl Lost)
• “perimeter” = The perimeter is the outer limits of an area. (Captain Dobey, You’re Dead)
• “plead the Fifth” = This is the act of refusing to testify under oath on the grounds the answer could be used to convict self of a criminal offence. (Rosey Malone)
• “police brutality” = This is an excessive use of force by police officers. (Trap)
• “priority one” = Priority one is something of the utmost importance. (Pilot)
• “proffered charges” = Papa Giovanni initially “proffered charges” against Larry. (Silence)
• “proffered charges” = Starsky asks Denise if she wants to press charges against Bo Rile. (Bounty Hunter)
• “protected witness” = Lindsay is a protected witness. Cover Girl)
• “pulling someone’s sheets” = Pulling someone’s sheets means reviewing an officer’s arrest records. The sheets are located in Records and Identification. (Iron Mike)
• “rap sheet” = A rap sheet is a police record of arrests and charges. (Shootout, Huggy Can’t Go Home)
• “reasonable cause” is enough to hold someone for Murder One, Starsky says. (Texas Longhorn)
• “reasonable cause” is not enough with a “positive non-identification for Murder One” = Dobey reminds Starsky and Hutch of this after Zack’s non-ID of Huey Chaco. (Texas Longhorn)
• "reasonable cause" is enough to to search a place without a search warrant. (Losing Streak)
• “red file” = Starsky suspects Zane and Canelli are in this file and comments this file is long. (Pilot)
• “Request for Information” = When Starsky and Hutch radio Dobey and he is busy, Hutch says, "Well, then take a request for information, please." Dispatch replies, "Roger Zebra Three. Go ahead." Hutch says, "Captain, this is Hutch. We just spoke with Carnieri’s widow. It seems he was being pressured into selling his laundry to a company by the name of Belladon or Bellaman, something like that. Would you check it out? End of message." (Omaha Tiger)
• “request intercept” = This is a request for backup, most likely in police squad cars. (Trap)
• “Roger” = I understand, same as “10-4” (various)
• “run a make” = To run a make is to get some information. Starsky asks someone on the phone to do this on PatriciaTalbert and her boyfriend. (Pilot)
• “shots fired, man down, handle Code Three” = The dispatcher tells Starsky and Hutch about the situation outside the Belmont Hotel. (Huggy Can’t Go Home
• “sketch artist” = Sketch artists draw pictures of people based on witnesses' descriptions. (Discomania, Death Notice)
• “SOP” = Fargo uses this term, which means “standard operating procedure.” Committee)
• “standard police procedure, check out the alibi of every person at the scene of the crime,” Hutch reminds Starsky. (Blindfold)
• “swear out a complaint” = A citizen files charges. (Crying Child)
• “switch to tac 2” = Hutch has to switch to this radio channel to talk to Dobey. (Lady Blue, Deadly Imposter)
• “tactical 1” = This is a radio channel. (Kill Huggy Bear)
• “turning State’s Evidence” = This is collaborating with the prosecution in exchange for a reduced sentence. Ezra Beam did it. Starsky and Hutch call it “ratting.” (Terror on the Docks)
• “warrant” = Starsky and Hutch don’t need a warrant to search White’s club because: 1. they have a reasonable cause to search, knowing Lemke worked there 2. Lemke was armed and dangerous 3. Lemke was known to frequent White’s club. (Losing Streak)
• “warrant” = Dobey notes Starsky and Hutch would have needed a warrant to search Basil’s bank account; Starsky and Hutch had one. (Photo Finish)
• “warrant” = Hutch threatens Lola, telling her they have enough to get a warrant to seize her books. (Bounty Hunter)
• “warrant” = Hutch warns Smithers and Waldheim to get a warrant before they come to visit. (Targets 2)
• “warrant” = Marcie asks sarcastically, “Don’t you need a warrant to break down a door?” (Photo Finish)
• “warrant” = You have to “have cause” to get a warrant. (Pilot)
• “wife can’t testify against her husband” is one reason why Don wants to marry Emily. Actually it not that a wife can’t, it is that she can’t be forced to testify against her husband. (Blindfold)
• “will advise” = This a term meaning information will be shared with those who need it. (Trap)
• “writ” = Dobey says the judge is getting stingy with writs due to “a lot of the boys are taking their writs and intimidating people rather than investigating them.” A writ is a written order issued by a court, telling the party to whom it is addressed to perform or cease performing a specified act. (Class in Crime)
• “writ” = Hutch says “let’s get a writ” before they go to clear the numbers clearing house. (Rosey Malone)
• “X” = after code means a female is involved (Quadromania)
• “you can’t prosecute a guy on a supposition” = Dobey reminds Starsky and Hutch. (Targets 3)
• a wire and a homing device are two ways to keep in touch with a cop. (Action)
• Bettin wants Dobey to “write up an official departmental reprimand” (Jojo)
• city, state, feds = Dobey divides law enforcement into these three areas. Dobey says Metro cops are “menial city police.” (Deadly Imposter)
• dispatch, central, communications and control appear to be interchangeable titles. (various)
• "probable cause or a warrant" = one can’t enter and search without probable cause or a warrant. (A Coffin for Starsky)
• Starsky and Hutch describe direction as per on an analog watch, Rolly “at 2:00.” Alex Drew on the catwalk is “at 2:00” as well. Determined searching didn’t turn up an official term for this term. (Pilot, Specialist)
• Su Long says, making him the most legalistic bad guy around, “What I say from this point on is said without prejudice to me and not for use in a court of law. We are being tape recorded.” (Psychic)

Text of a standard Miranda Warning, some states have additions:
• “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney, and to have an attorney present during any questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be provided for you at government expense.”

• LAPD phonetic alphabet:

A

Adam
M
Mary
Y
Young
B
Baker
N
Nora
Z
Zebra
C
Charles
O
Ocean
0
Zero
D
David
P
Paul
1
One
E
Edward
Q
Queen
2
Two
F
Frank
R
Robert
3
Three
G
George
S
Sam
4
Four
H
Henry
T
Tom
5
Five
I
Ida
U
Union
6
Six
J
John
V
Victor
7
Seven
K
King
W
William
8
Eight
L
Lincoln
X
X-ray
9
Niner